Joel Auerbach/Getty Images(SAN FRANCISCO) -- The San Francisco 49ers released offensive lineman Jonathan Martin on Thursday, the team announced.

Martin spent one season in San Francisco, appearing in 15 games (nine starts) at right tackle.

Martin played at Stanford and was a 2012 second-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins, where he started all 16 games as a rookie.

In Martin's second season with Miami, he left the team after a bullying controversy involving former teammate Richie Incognito. Martin played the first seven games but sat out the rest of the 2013 season, and then in the offseason the Dolphins traded him to the 49ers for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images(SAN FRANCISCO) -- The San Francisco 49ers released offensive lineman Jonathan Martin on Thursday, the team announced.

Martin spent one season in San Francisco, appearing in 15 games (nine starts) at right tackle.

Martin played at Stanford and was a 2012 second-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins, where he started all 16 games as a rookie.

In Martin's second season with Miami, he left the team after a bullying controversy involving former teammate Richie Incognito. Martin played the first seven games but sat out the rest of the 2013 season, and then in the offseason the Dolphins traded him to the 49ers for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.

Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL)(PITTSBURGH) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed James Harrison to a two-year contract, which will address the team's need of the outside linebacker position.

Harrison's return to the Steelers puts off retirement a little longer for the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The Steelers talked Harrison out of retirement last season following an injury to starting right outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, and once again Harrison proved to be relevant despite his age and having to play his way back into football shape. Harrison recorded 5.5 sacks in 11 regular-season games last season and emerged as the Steelers' best pass rusher.

Harrison is third on the Steelers' all-time sacks list (69.5), and he joins Jones and Arthur Moats as the only outside linebackers on the roster with NFL experience.

IStockPhoto/Thinkstock(JACKSONVILLE) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have claimed running back Bernard Pierce off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens, who cut the fourth-year player following his DUI arrest on Wednesday.

Pierce rushed for 1,334 yards and five touchdowns in his four-year career with the Ravens, including 532 yards as a rookie in 2012 to help the Ravens win the Super Bowl.

He was supposed to split time with Justin Forsett and rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro in 2014 after Ray Rice was suspended. However, he was benched in the season opener for fumbling and eventually lost the job to Forsett, who ran for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Jaguars did not release a statement regarding Pierce other than announcing that they had claimed him off waivers. General manager David Caldwell was unable to be reached for comment.

Bowe visited Cleveland last week and had a productive meeting with the staff. He has a relationship with general manager Ray Farmer, who previously worked in Kansas City's personnel department.

He finished his Chiefs career with 532 receptions for 7,155 yards and 44 touchdowns. He accomplished this despite playing with a collection of mostly journeyman quarterbacks and others who never established themselves in the NFL.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images(DALLAS) -- The Dallas Cowboys have signed defensive end Greg Hardy to a one-year, $11.3 million deal that could be worth up to $13 million, according to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter.

Hardy could face a league suspension for violating the NFL's domestic conduct policy. However, an NFL spokesman told ESPN that Hardy's situation remains under review and that the league will have a resolution on his status as soon as possible.

Hardy was a 2013 Pro Bowl selection after leading the Panthers with 15 sacks, tying a team single-season record. He started 39 games between 2011 and 2013 and has 34 career sacks.

Scoot Boehm/Getty Images(BALTIMORE) -- The Baltimore Ravens cut running back Bernard Pierce hours after he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol early Wednesday.

Pierce was the third Ravens player to be arrested this offseason, and the Ravens have now cut all three within a day of learning of their off-field incidents. Pierce failed a field sobriety test after being pulled over near the Baltimore beltway just before 2 a.m. ET on Wednesday and he was arrested, according to Baltimore County police.

Pierce was a third-round pick by the Ravens in 2012, and he has averaged fewer than 4 yards per carry the past two seasons for the team.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Former New York Jets and Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson is in stable condition after being shot in the shoulder during a drive-by that occurred at 4 a.m. Sunday in Orlando, Florida, according to police.

According to a police report, deputies arrived at the scene to find a Jeep with one deceased man and two others with gunshot wounds on the sidewalk. The victims said an unknown vehicle pulled up beside them at a red light and opened fire.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris and everyone impacted by this tragic event," the Jets said in a statement.

Chris Johnson is set to become a free agent Tuesday. After one season with the Jets, the team declined to exercise an option for 2015, setting him free. Johnson will look for work elsewhere next season.

A shoulder injury had caused Mariota's hesitation to throw at the combine. After being informed that it would not cause further damage, the Oregon Ducks quarterback decided to participate.

Last season, Teddy Bridgewater decided to skip the combine passing drills and only throw at his pro day. Bridgewater was considered a top 10 prospect before his pro day, but was drafted No. 32 by the Minnesota Vikings.

Sabol died in his home Monday in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to the NFL.

NFL Films was created by Sabol in 1962 originally under the name Blair Motion Pictures, named for his daughter Blair. Sabol won the rights to film the 1962 NFL championship game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants.

Then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle was so impressed by Sabol's film that he asked the owners to buy the motion picture company. After initial hesitation, the owners agreed to buy the company after rebranding it NFL Films.

Sabol was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. In his speech he said, "I dreamt a dream, the impossible dream. I dreamt the impossible dream and I'm living it right this minute."

Football fans were introduced to John Facenda, often referred to as "The Voice of God," through Sabol's work. NFL Films provided an innovative look at pro football, through unique narration, an underscore and alternate camera angles.

Sabol and his son Steve, who later became president of NFL films in 1985, created many of the popular programs such as Football Follies, Hard Knocks and The Lost Treasures.

Steve Sabol passed away in 2012 from brain cancer at the age of 69.

Ed Sabol is survived by his wife of 74 years, Audrey, his daughter, Blair, and grandson, Casey.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images (NEW YORK) -- Just days after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell committed his latest gaffe in the pre-Super Bowl press conference, he tops it with another.

NBC requested to conduct an interview with Goodell during Sunday's pregame show.

During Friday's press conference Goodell addressed his accessibility with the media.

"I understand the obligation and my job to meet with the media," Goodellsaid. "I don't know whether I meet with them at a press conference every week, but I'm available to the media almost every day of my job, professionally. We try to make ourselves available on a very regular basis. It is my responsibility, it is my job, and I will do that."

Media members have been taking the opportunity to showcase their declined interview requests since Goodell's statement.

"I'm available to the media almost every day of my job professionally." Goodell has rejected every interview request I've made since 2012," ESPN's Don Van Natta tweeted Friday after the press conference.

While there are certain logistical details missing from the story, the perception from this isn't good for the NFL commissioner.

Leon Halip/Getty Images(ATLANTA, Ga.) -- While national attention has been drawn to the New England Patriots and underinflated footballs, another NFL team is being investigated for cheating.

The Atlanta Falcons are accused of projecting artificial crowd noise into the Georgia Dome over the past two seasons, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"We were informed during the season that the league office is looking into crowd noise during our games," a Falcons team spokesman said. "We have cooperated fully with them, and we're awaiting the outcome."

The Falcons are alleged to have played phony crowd noise while the opposing team huddled to call its play.

In a similar fashion to deflated footballs, some question how much of an advantage was gained. Many teams now utilize a silent count by which the offense begins their play based on when the center snaps the ball, rather than the quarterback starting the play with an audible sound.

Tom Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images(INDIANAPOLIS, In.) -- The Indianapolis Colts are in the final stages of signing wide receiver Duron Carter, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The 6'5" Carter is the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter,...

NFL Shield (NFL)(NEW YORK) -- Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue provided a candid view of the NFL under the leadership of current Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL ownership.

Tagliabue expressed concern for the league and of Goodell in a GQ article that profiles the current commissioner. Among the chief concerns Tagliabue noted was Goodell's obsession with the NFL gaining profit and finding larger revenue streams; even at the expense of the game itself. Goodell has stated that he would like the NFL to be a $25 billion industry by 2027.

There has been an increasingly hostile relationship between Goodell and NFL players. Goodell has handed out uneven punishment to players for on-field and off-field infractions, depending on his attitude towards the offending party.

Where Goodell handed out Draconian punishments to the New Orleans Saints in the wake of the Bountygate scandal, he seemingly did a favor to the Baltimore Ravens organization by suspending Ray Rice after a domestic violence incident with his now wife, Janay Palmer.

Tagliabue, who was appointed by Goodell to hear appeals for Bountygate, sees this as a major flaw.

"If they see you making decisions only in economic terms, they start to understand that and question what you're all about," he said. "There's a huge intangible value in peace. There's a huge intangible value in having allies."

Tagliabue served as commissioner from 1989, succeeding Pete Rozelle, through 2006, when Goodell took over.

"We haven't talked much since I left. It's been his decision," said Tagliabue. "Bountygate didn't help."

(ATLANTA, Ga.) -- Once the Super Bowl has concluded, the Atlanta Falcons are expected to name Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their head coach, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Quinn, 44, has served as defensive coordinator of the Seahawks defense for the past two seasons after replacing Gus Bradley, who took the head job with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Falcons have already named Kyle Shanahan as the team’s offensive coordinator, though it has been rumored that his hiring is contingent on Quinn being hired.

Raheem Morris, a former player of Quinn at Hofstra in 1990, will likely join the Falcons as defensive coordinator. Morris was previously head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-2011.

Quinn has been in a bit of a tricky situation because of NFL rules. As a member of a coaching staff that is actively in the postseason, Quinn was only available to interview during the Seahawks bye weeks -- the wild card round and this week leading up to the Super Bowl. No team was able to hire him until the Seahawks season concluded.

He will replace Mike Smith, who served as Falcons head coach for the past seven seasons.

Under the leadership of Hall of Fame wide receivers, Michael Irvin and Cris Carter, the NFL's most popular players put on a show for the fans.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford took home MVP honors for their respective side of the ball.

"I just tried to enjoy it," Watt said, who intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in the game. "That's what the Pro Bowl is all about, giving the fans a good show. Everybody worked so hard to get here, you want to enjoy yourself and play some good ball. Guys are dancing around and having a good time, that's what it's all about."

Stafford, who tossed two touchdowns and threw for 316 yards in the game, said: "It was a blast. To able to play with the best in the world is a whole lot of fun, and everybody is such good people, too. I am out here having a good time."

This year, the Pro Bowl was held in the host city of the Super Bowl, Glendale, Arizona, taking a one year break from its usual destination of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Ma.) -- New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has had a few moments this season that have been defined as heroic.

After Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts, Wilfork had a truly heroic moment when he helped pull a woman out of her car after it overturned on Route 1 outside of Gillete Stadium.

"Some good times and I was just lucky to help, that was it," Wilfork said. "I don't want anything from it. If I saw it a million times, I'd do it a million times."

The accident occurred shortly before 1 a.m. Monday morning when Wilfork and his wife noticed the overturned car. After calling for police assistance, Wilfork climbed onto the car and pulled the woman out with one arm.

Police then arrested the woman for driving under the influence of alcohol and negligent operation of a vehicle.

Teammates of Wilfork found out about the story through news reports Monday afternoon.

“You’re not really surprised with a guy like Vince,” wide receiver Matthew Slater said. “He’s been a pillar here in this franchise and a character guy, and really when you get to know the man, he’s all about giving back. He has such a big heart, and he cares about the people in this community.”

“I’m resigning this position, not retiring,” LeBeau said. “I had a great run in Pittsburgh. I’m grateful for all the things that have happened to me and thankful for all the support I had in Pittsburgh.”

The Steelers hired LeBeau as a defensive backs coach in 1992 and he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1995. He would leave the Steelers in 1996 to join Cincinnati for the next six seasons, including leading the Bengals as head coach from 2000-2002.

LeBeau rejoined the Steelers in 2004 as their defensive coordinator. In that span Pittsburgh has had three Super Bowl appearances, including two victories over the Seahawks and Cardinals.

In 1959, The Cleveland Browns drafted LeBeau in the fifth round. He was cut in training camp, but caught on with the Detroit Lions. For the next 14 years, LeBeau was a part of a secondary that included Dick "Night Train" Lane, Yale Lary and Lem Barney.

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Allie Sherman, one of the most successful coaches in New York Giants franchise history, has passed away at 91 years of age.

Sherman, who led New York to three championship games, died Saturday in his home in Manhattan.

Before becoming a head coach, Sherman played four seasons; in 1943 with the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Steagles, a two-team merger as a result of World War II, then the remaining three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a two-way player, at both quarterback and defensive back.

Upon taking the advice of Hall of Fame coach Earl Neale, Sherman entered into coaching, getting his start with New Jersey's Paterson Panthers. The next season he joined the Giants as a defensive backs coach and then spent several seasons as head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL.

Sherman would gain the top job for the Giants in 1961 and led the team to the title game three straight years, losing to the Green Bay Packers in '61 and '62, then to the Bears in 1963.

After his coaching career, Sherman worked alongside Chris Berman at ESPN as an analyst in 1987.